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The new 'Doom' gets its first update on June 30th
The new Doom is on the cusp of getting its first major update, and it appears to be worth checking out -- especially if you have fond memories of the original games. The upgrade arrives on June 30th with the option of a classic dead-center weapon view, regardless of the mode you're playing. It's there to evoke nostalgia, of course, but it'll also be helpful if you want more of a visual aid when aiming.
'Quake' marks its 20th anniversary
Attention gamers of a certain age: you're about to feel very, very old. June 22nd, 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the original Quake, id Software's classic first-person shooter. It may not be quite as genre-defining as the Doom games that preceded it, but it was still considered revolutionary. For a start, it was presented entirely in 3D (with semi-realistic lighting, no less) at a time when most shooters had to make do with '2.5D' engines -- even the zero-gravity title Descent had some 2D. Quake was also one of the first games of its kind to be built with internet multiplayer in mind, not just local networks. And who can forget the eerie soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor?
Try the first level of 'Doom' for free this week
The new Doom has launched to rave reviews, but today at E3 Bethesda announced it was looking to get even more people into the game. To that end, the first level of Doom will be available for free on Steam, Xbox One and PS4 this week only. The company said it was meant to be in the spirit of shareware demos that were so popular on the PC way back when the first Doom was popular, but this teaser is a bit more restrictive, since it'll only last for a week. Still, it's a better demo than most games offer these days.
The new 'Doom' hides sinister images in its soundtrack
It's no secret that the new Doom is chock-full of Easter eggs and other surprises, but the latest is one you wouldn't find just by wandering around the game's tortured halls. Intrepid fan TomButcher has noticed that at least one tune in the soundtrack, "Cyberdemon," shows both pentagrams and the number 666 when you visualize the music's frequencies through a spectrogram. Composer Mick Gordon recently teased that this hidden sinister imagery might be present in a video (below at the 3:29 mark), but there's no doubt about it now. Clearly, he remembers the days when the original Doom's hellish artwork had some parents in a frenzy.
The glorious gore of 'Doom' chainsaw kills
The new Doom is buttery, plain and simple -- no other word captures the ridiculous smoothness imbued in the game's mechanics. As he traverses Hell on Mars, the protagonist moves at a constant sprint, but the controls never feel too sensitive or rushed; it's the perfect speed for rapid-fire, twitchy gameplay. With Doom, developer id Software and publisher Bethesda have crafted an innovative first-person shooter that pays homage to the series' long history while propelling it into the future. A large part of Doom's history involves the chainsaw. Doom and chainsaws go together like lumberjacks and flannel, and the latest game doesn't disappoint in this department. It brings the close-up brutality of chainsaw kills into the 21st century, in glorious high-definition.
'Doom' creators pull 'Blackroom' Kickstarter after four days
That lasted long. John Romero and Adrian Carmack, founders of the Doom and Quake developer iD Software, have already pulled the plug on their new Kickstarter project. The Blackroom campaign had been running for four days when the pair decided to press "pause," citing the need to make a gameplay demo. That's most likely so that their new, rebooted campaign can adhere to Kickstarter's own rules, which require "explicit demos of working prototypes" for any proposed physical product. The pair say finishing an early slice of Blackroom will take longer than the current campaign, which is why they've decided to end it so prematurely.
AI will frag each other with rocket launchers in 'Doom'
An AI learning to walk through a Doom-inspired maze by sight is one thing, but how can it handle live multiplayer mayhem? That's what the "Visual Doom AI" competition this September hopes to discover. The first set of matches are limited to a dozen 10-minute rounds on a known map, with only one weapon: the rocket launcher. The AI "controllers" can pick up health packs and ammo, as well, and the winner will be picked by highest kill count.
'Doom' open beta kicks off April 15th
You won't have to pre-order a game to get a taste of Doom's multiplayer mode before the ultra-violent first-person shooter arrives on May 13th. Bethesda and id Software have revealed that the open beta for the game will run April 15th through the 17th on the PS4, Xbox One and Windows PCs. As with the closed test, you're getting a sliver of the full online experience: you'll have two maps (Heatwave and Infernal), two game modes (Team Deathmatch and Warpath) and one demon to invoke.
The new 'Doom' drops on May 13th
The brand-new Doom hits Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on Friday, May 13th, Bethesda and id Software announced in a trailer today. About this trailer -- we've embedded it below, but make sure to watch it when you're in the mood for some serious gore. This is Doom, after all.
The first 'Doom' gets a new map from co-creator John Romero
John Romero is virtually synonymous with Doom as one of its key developers, but he never made a map for it after 1995. Quake, and eventually his other studios, took over after that. However, he's finally coming home to roost: Romero has released an add-on map for the original Doom, "Tech Gone Bad," that reimagines the Phobos Anomaly at the end of Episode 1. That's bound to whet your appetite if you're a veteran gamer. He's not only intimately familiar with Doom, he's approaching it with 21 years of additional experience under his belt -- as early reactions attest, this is probably much better than the homebrew maps that you saw two decades ago.
Sign up to try 'Doom' on PS4, XB1 or Steam this weekend
So you didn't buy Wolfenstein: The New Order, but you still want early access to the new Doom game? Run, don't walk to the sign-up page and get your information in (those who bought Wolfenstein last year should just search for the download on their respective gaming platforms), because this weekend it's taking testers for the test version on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam. The website is (predictably) crushed by gamers seeking a return to demon-filled corridors of their youth, but with access promised "first-come, first-serve" it's time to give that F5 key or auto-refresh script a workout. Good luck, but if you don't get in then maybe this quick taste of some multiplayer footage will help.Update (12/4): And...that's it, registration is closed. If you got in, we'll see you online!
A 'Quake Live' Steam update raises the game's price from $0 to $10
Quake Live, a highly competitive first-person shooter from Doom studio id Software, has been free since it launched in 2010. Rather, it had been free. On Wednesday, long-time players booted up the game to find it now costs $10 on Steam and no longer offers subscription options for serious fans. The move is part of Quake Live's transition to Steamworks, which allows players to use their Steam display names in-game, receive Steam stats and achievements, and download new content through the Steam Workshop. "By retiring our services and subscription service, all players now have the same benefits and features in-game," the Quake Live team says. The move also erases all previous game data, which, for some players, is five years' worth of clan-building and killing. Many players were surprised (and some were enraged) by today's news.
Get an explosive taste of the 'Doom' multiplayer mode
Doom is upon us. The closed alpha for id Software's Doom launches tomorrow, October 23rd (at midnight ET) and runs through October 25th. The alpha is available to those who pre-ordered the game online before May 24th and people who redeemed beta codes found in some physical copies of Wolfenstein: The New Order. But even if you aren't one of the destined few, fear not -- you can get a taste of Doom's multiplayer in the gameplay video below. Doom is due out in spring 2016 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
'Doom' multiplayer test run starts 'in the coming months'
It's time to put that Doom alpha code from your PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC copy of Wolfenstein: The New Order to use if you already haven't redeemed it. Publisher Bethesda's announced that access to the Hell-bound shooter's first multiplayer test will open up "in the coming months." The post on Bethblog says that if you bought the game digitally there's no need to hassle with redeeming keys as you're automagically entered into the selection pool, too. Let's say you didn't buy the latest Wolfenstein though and only pre-ordered Doom after witnessing its big reveal at E3 last month. Well, in that case you have to wait for Doom's beta and that won't happen until next year ahead of the game's scheduled when it's done spring release window. Folks attending id's Quakecon in Texas this weekend, however, get a leg up on everyone else and have access to a pre-alpha build of the multiplayer mode.
Hack makes playing 'Doom' on a computer inside 'Doom' a reality
You know, in case there isn't a printer, ATM or graphing calculator readily available.
JXE Streams: Blasting robot dogs in 'Wolfenstein: The Old Blood'
One year ago, Machine Games did an unbelievable thing: it made Wolfenstein relevant again. id Software's 1992 original is still fondly remembered; it was, after all, the only game in town where you could eat a bowl of dog food before blowing up Robo Hitler. The series had grown stale over the decades, though, a relic rather than an enduring institution. Wolfenstein: The New Order was a monumentally impressive resurrection with solid action on PS4 and Xbox One alongside a surprisingly moving, if simple, story. Now Machine Games is back with Wolfenstein: The Old Blood and we're playing it for your viewing pleasure on today's stream.
'Doom' selfie mod lets you indulge your ego while slaying demons
Like it or not, selfies in games are officially a "thing" -- and they're now invading classic titles like Doom. Linguica's new InstaDoom mod lets you spin the virtual camera around to take a shot of your Doom (or Doom II) marine, complete with Instagram-like filters and the seemingly inescapable selfie stick. Yes, you can now show your friends that you've killed a Spiderdemon by striking an obnoxious pose over its body. Is this a novelty? You bet. Still, it's fun to see a decades-old shooter make a commentary on the modern obsession with narcissistic photos.
'Wolfenstein' remake adds cartoon violence, ridiculous physics
HD remakes are nothing new in the world of video games these days, but from the looks of it Super Wolfenstein HD isn't your typical revamp. The shooter that started it all is a bit more destructible now, and, as Kotaku notes, it bears more than a passing resemblance to Minecraft in terms of how it plays. How's that? Well, you're now armed with a shovel that's capable of busting through the game's trademark blue walls. Ragdoll physics play a pretty important role as well, helping contribute to... well, you'll have to see for yourself. And because it's a fan-mod originating from a game jam (basically a hackathon for video games), you can do that entirely free of charge. We've tossed a video that previews the action after the break if you're so inclined, too. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some Nazis to kill.
You can now tinker with the code of 'Commander Keen's' lost episode
It's easy to indulge your Commander Keen nostalgia with most of the game series, but the "lost" Keen Dreams episode has proven elusive outside of less-than-official copies. As of now, though, you can do something about recreating those adventures through Tuberia -- Javier Chavez and team have fulfilled a crowdfunding promise by publishing legal source code for Keen Dreams' original DOS version. If you want, you can now port the game to newer platforms and otherwise tweak the code to your heart's content. Chavez and crew have yet to get their own ready-to-play edition going, but it's already up for consideration on Steam Greenlight. Consider giving it a thumbs-up if you want to resume your fight against the spud soldiers. [Image credit: Steve Hall, MobyGames]
Doom 4 re-revealed as 'Doom,' beta access coming with new Wolfenstein
Remember Doom, the classic first-person shooter that invented a gaming genre? Though the franchise has taken some (considerable) time off in the past decade, the latest iteration is apparently not far from prime time. Originally named Doom 4, (the somewhat confusingly named) "Doom" is headed into beta at some point this year; access keys will ship with boxed copies of Wolfenstein: The New Order this May. As of right now, the only way to get into said beta will be to pick up a copy of Wolfenstein on one of its many platforms (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC). As for where the Doom beta will actually be playable is another question altogether: there are no announced platforms for Doom, though we suspect it'll be on next-gen and PC at very least. It's also not clear if the game will still be a showcase for id Software's latest version of id Tech, the engine that powers id games. One thing is for certain: Doom co-creator John Carmack won't have a hand in this one, as he's moved on to the wiles of virtual reality at Oculus VR.
